Music typewriter



May 17, 1938.. G, RUNDSTATLER 2,117,363

MUSIC TYPEWRITER Filed Sept. 24, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l Qlll hue/11hr".-

jaw Rue-1 MUSIC TYPEWRITER Filed Sept. 24, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig- 4y 7, 1938. e. RUNDSTATLER 2,117,353

MUSIC TYPEWRITER Filed Sept. 24, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May 11,1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,117,363 MUSIC mnwm'rna GustRundstatler, Berlin, Germany, assignor to Nototyp-Rundstatler G. 111. b.11., Berlin, Germany Application September 24, 1936, Serial No. 102,292In Germany December 20, 1933 7 Claims.

characters used in music-notation. The inven-.

tion concerns more particularly a music-type writer of the Rundstatlersystem.

The music-typewriter according to this invention is distinguished by theparticular arrangement and construction of the keyboard and typeheadswhereby the fingering is simplified, the supervision is facilitated andthe typing-speed is increased.

In the music-typewriter according to this invention, all the necessaryopen and closed notes within the five-line system, i. e., the staifnotes, as well as the remaining notes, symbols and numerals, areprovided in the keyboard and typecrown and are distributed in such amanner that the open and closed notes of the same pitch and position onthe stave are arranged on the same type-bar and type head thereon,Further, the notes of chords, for example, canf be typed one after theother by keys which do not effect an advance of the carriage, forconvenience hereinafter referred to as dead keys, so that on typing achord, the appropriate dead keys are struck in a similar manner to thesuccessive striking of keys on a musical instrument.

Although in the music-typewriter according to 30 the invention allclosedand open notes within the five-line system, as well as all symbols,numerals and other characters usually employed in music notation areprovided, yet in contradistinction to known music-typewriters which have35 either a single closed or a single open note head or always onecomplete note for different note values /2, ,4, A, A A A in the keyboardand type crown, the keyboard oi. the music-typewriter according to thisinvention can be sub- 40 stituted for any normal keyboard, so that theimproved music-typewriter not only corresponds in space or size to theproportions of all known typewriters, but the keyboard can also beincorporated in typewriters of any of the usual varie- 45 ties.

The invention is particularly applicable to music-typewriters of theRundstatler system which are adapted to type notes on paper that is notprovided with stafi lines, and in which each 50 note is provided withthe stafif line, so that on the striking of each note key, the startline is also typed with note or symbol.

In order to increase the typing speed, according to this invention, thekeys of the keyboard 55 which correspond to the open and closed notes(namely, those notes which have, respectively, outlined and solid heads)are grouped in the middle, occupying approximately a third of thekeyboard. The keys which correspond to the other symbols and numeralsare situated in the 5 outer groups. The keys corresponding to especiallylarge characters, such as treble clef, bass clef and so on, are arrangedin the outer groups, since these can be extended in width as required.As however, these keys are not sufliciently wide 0 for the accommodationoi the large characters (e. g., in single-shift machines), thesecharacters may be divided vertically, and can be typed by keys which arenot only arranged side by side,

but produce a feed of the carriage when oper-' 15 ated.

Other features will become apparent from the following description oftwo forms of musictypewriter according to this invention, with referenceto the accompanying drawings, wherein: 20

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the new musictypewriter.

Figure 2 is a plan of a keyboard for a singleshift music-typewriter,

Figure 3 being a diagrammatic elevation of the corresponding type crown.

Figure 4 is a plan of the keyboard for a doubleshift music-typewriter,

Figure 5 being a diagrammatic elevation of the corresponding type crown.

Figure 6 illustrates typing of notes on the leger lines typed by themusic-typewriter.

Figure 7 illustrates typing of stems of the notes.

Figure 8 illustrates typing by the machine of ties in relation to thestair-lines. I

Figure 9 illustrates the individual type impressions on an enlargedscale for the formation of ties in'relation to the stair-lines andto-one another.

Figure 10 illustrates the novel arrangement of 40 the time signaturenumerals and their typing height within the staff lines.

In the example of a singleshift music-typewriter according to thisinvention, as shown in Figure 1, a indicates the keyboard, I) the typecrown, the separate type of which on the depression of the keys andconsequent operation of the reciprocatory type bars, strikes against theplaten or cylinder d of the paper carriage f. The invention isapplicable to certain typewriters having pivoted type-bars.

An indicator'h is fitted on the type guide g, the indicator consistingfor example of a bar engravednor otherwise provided, with lines, whichmay be variously coloured, corresponding to the '65 head (Figures 3 and5).

staff-lines and in certain cases, if desired, with leger lines.Similarly, note lines may be provided on the guide holder itself tofacilitate use of the typewriter". z is the space bar which as usual,when operated, always produces a feed of the carriage.

In both instances of a single-shift machine (Figures 2 and 3) and of adouble-shift machine (Figures 4 and 5), all the notes, symbols, numeralsand so on are provided and the closed and open notes of the same pitchare provided on the same type head and on the same staif line, both inthe keyboard (Figures 2 and 4) and in the crown Further, the stafi lineis provided on the key and type head corresponding to each note and istyped simultaneously with the note on the striking of the key, so thatthe notes can be typed on plain paper having no stair-lines.

From Figures 3 to 5, it is evident also that all the note keys aresituated in the middle group, occupying approximately one third, of thekeyboard, while the remaining symbols, numerals and so on lie outsidethis group, and in the double-shift machine lie partly in the shift ofthe note keys.

The great clef and like symbols may be situated in this case in theouter groups of keys and type-heads, and, if of abnormal size, may bedivided and arranged on two keys and type-heads capable of being struckone after the other, although it is not indispensable that these keysand type-heads are actually side by side.

All note keys are dead keys, i. e. when operated, they do not produce afeed of the carriage. The object of this is to enable several notes, forexample in the case of a chord, to be typed one above the other withoutnecessitating a return of the carriage after each key is struck. 0n theother hand, the spacing bar 1' and all keys which correspond tocontinuous symbols, as for example, the ties between several notes andthe like, as well as the keys corresponding to divided symbols, producea feed of the carriage when operated.

When leger notes, such as shown in Figure 6, are to be typed on themachine according to this invention, the platen or cylinder d is rotatedto and from the operator and to such an extent as to determine theposition of the required note above or below the staff lines.

In order that a short piece of leger line shall -be visible on each sideof a leger note as usual in commercial reproduction of music notationand in spite of the very narrow width available, the heads of the notesare specially shaped, as indicated in Figure 6, to accommodate theprojecting leger lines. The height of the head of the note, in thiscase, is equal to the space between two staif lines, but the width ofthe head is less. The heads may be more or less inclined or of ovalshape, as shown in Figure 6.

In contradistinction to known machines, wherein the type for a stem .ofa note has the stem centrally disposed on the type head, according tothe present invention, the stem is arranged to one side of the typehead, whether for an upwardly or downwardly directed stem (Figures 3, 5,and 7). When a stem is typed, it is thus joined to the previously typedhead of the note after 'the platen has been shifted (by rotation of thethe line on which it was platen) below or above typed (Figure 7).

' The type of the connecting ties for ,4 $4 $5 and notes each occupy inthickness one half of the space between two adjacent staff lines,

and the space between two adjacent ties is equal to one half of thespace between two adjacent lines, as seen in Figures 5, 8, and 9,thereby corresponding to the controlled line spacing oi! the platen orcylinder. The visible typing of ties of any desired length is thuspossible.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, different type may be provided on the sametype bar adapted to permit of horizontal ties being produced as inFigure 8, or upwardly or downwardly inclined ties.

In order to permit of the highest possible typing speed of the timesignatures, the numerals which more often indicate the beat of the notesto be played, 1. e. 4 and 8, are situated on the lower half of thenumeral type heads, while the other numerals are situated so as to, betyped on the upper half of the staff-lines. It is thus possible to typea time signature within the stafi by a double striln'ng of keys arrangedwithin the compass of an ordinary keyboard.

The arrangement and construction of keyboard and type crowns abovedescribed can be applied to any makes of typewriter and any other notesymbols instead of or in addition to those illustrated may be adopted.

The arrangement and distribution of the notes and other symbols in thekeyboard and type crown may also be, varied more or less withoutdeparting from the essence of the invention.

Further, the note keys and note type may be provided without stair-linesand the latter may be provided on a separate key and type, e. g. may beproduced by the use of the spacing bar. In this case, when typingseveral notes above one another as in chords, the stafi lines are typedonly once.

I claim:

1. A music-typewriter having a keyboard and type crown containing allthe required notes, signs, numerals and other symbols used inmusicnotation and having the open and closed notes of the same pitchprovided on the same type bar, including a shifting device permittingupon the depression ,of the appropriate key either the open or closednote to be printed.

2. A music typewriter having a keyboard, a movable carriage and typecrown containing all the required notes, signs, numerals and othersymbols used in music notation, the open and closed notes of the samepitch being provided on the same type bar, including a shifting. devicepermitting upon the depression of the appropriate key either the open orclosed note to be printed, the keys of said keyboard comprising a middlegroup of keys which correspond to the notes and do not feed the carriagewhen operated, and side groups of keys which correspond to other lessused symbols and feed the carriage when operated.

3. A music-typewriter having a keyboard, a movable carriage and typecrown containing all the required notes, signs, numerals and othersymbols for use in music-notation, and having the open and closed notesof the same pitch provided on the same type bar, including a shifting 4.A music-typewriter having :a keyboard and type crown containing all therequired notes, signs, numerals and other symbols used in musicnotationand having the open and closed notes of the same pitch provided on thesame type bar, including a shifting device permitting upon thedepression of the appropriate key either the open or closed note to beprinted, the type corresponding to the heads of the notes being providedwith stall. lines, said heads on said type being each of a height equalto the space between two adjacent staff lines but suiliciently less inwidth to permit of. the provision of staff lines so that in the case ofleger notes, the lines are clearly visible on both sides of the head ofeach-note.

5. A music-typewriter having a keyboard, a

responding to stems for the heads oi the notes, a

said note stem type being laterally displaced or so situated on the typebar heads that a stem when typed can be joined to the head of a notewhich has been previously typed in a central position and has beenshifted by the platen up- :vardly or downwardly relatively to thisposiion.

6. A music-typewriterhaving a keyboard, a

' platen and type crown containing all the required notes, signs,numerals and other symbols used in music-notation and having the openand closed notes of the same pitch provided on the same to theconnecting ties for A A and notes,

said tie-type having a thickness and being spaced from one another by anamount equal to one half the space between two adjacent staff lines andcorresponding to the controlled line spacing of the platen.

7. A music-typewriter having a keyboard and type crown containing allthe required notes, signs, numerals and other symbols used inmusicnotation and having the open and closed notes of the same pitchprovided on the same type bar, including a shifting device permittingupon the depression of the appropriate key either the open or closednote to be printed and including type bars bearing type corresponding tonumerals for the time signature, the type of the numerals which moreoften indicate the beat of the notes to be played (4 and 8) beingarranged on the type bars so as to be typed on the lower half of thestaff, the type of the other numerals being arranged on their type barsso as to be typed in the upper half of the staif.

GUST RUNDSTA'I'LER.

